When embarking on the journey into an entirely new subset of fashion, it’s natural to feel overwhelmed. How do you know where to find new gothic pieces? How do you build your wardrobe while preserving your bank account and ensuring that your new apparel will stand the test of time?

That’s where guides precisely like this one come in. Tips, tricks, and information from others who already inhabit the niche can help pave the way to a curated collection of clothing that you’ll adore. One quick read may save you hours of fruitless searching through internet archives, and those are hours that you can spend browsing through your new favorite shops instead.

We believe that starting small and working your way up to a full-blown gothic dream closet is a sustainable way of achieving your goal. Focusing on highly versatile pieces and money-saving will allow your selection to flourish without breaking the bank.

To that end, let’s take a look at 7 tips that you can use right away to start building up, or adding to, your dark aesthetic wardrobe.

What’s Dark Aesthetic?

At Honey&Claret, we use the term “dark aesthetic” for any number of alternative fashions with a sense of eerieness and morbidity. Dark aesthetic can include, but certainly isn’t limited to, genres and subgenres like:

• Traditional goth and gothic styles
• Whimsigoth and soft goth
• Elegant gothic lolita
• Victorian gothic
• Dark academia
• Punk
• Cyberpunk
• Steampunk
• Vampire Core

Though the elements of these styles often differ, they share some components like darker or more muted palettes, dramatic silhouettes, and avante garde designs.

Honey&Claret focuses mainly on elegant and gothic subcultures and styles like soft goth, elegant gothic lolita, and Victorian gothic. However, the tips we’ll discuss here can work for just about any style, even those well outside of the realm of dark aesthetics.

Tip 1: Go for versatile pieces

This may seem obvious, but it bears mention: when building a new wardrobe, start by filling it with as many versatile pieces as possible. Though your heart may be pining for that gorgeous tea length lace gown, it may not be the easiest thing to style.

When selecting new pieces, ask yourself a few questions.

1. How many different outfits can you curate with this piece alone?

2. How many situations would you be able to wear the piece in?

3. Is the cost of the piece worth the use you would get out of it?

We suggest picking items like jackets, pants, skirts, and shirts first. Focus on items that have high re-wearing potential, even if that might mean choosing something with solid colors when you prefer bold patterns. You can always add those statement pieces as your wardrobe grows.

Personally, we also take into account matters like washing instructions. The more unique a piece is, the more likely it is that it comes with special care demands. It can be a struggle to dress in a dark aesthetic when you only have one piece that you need to wash by hand after every wear, no?

Tip 2: Learn some sewing and crafting skills

If you aren’t already involved in sewing or crafts, now is a good time to start. You can save quite a bit of money and expand your wardrobe at a much faster rate if you know how to sew your own garments and create your own accessories.

You don’t need to begin with complex tailoring, of course. When starting off with sewing projects, we suggest extremely basic creations like pot holders or tote bags. When you begin sewing garments, consider making:

• Pajama pants
• Shorts
• A-line skirts

You want to begin with easy shapes and simple instructions, as this helps you avoid throwing your hands up in frustration and giving up on sewing immediately. Fortunately, there are many resources available in the vast sea of the internet for anyone wishing to start their sewing or crafting journey, so you won’t go it alone.

If you already have some sewing experience and are searching for inspiration instead, we recommend giving Bernadette Banner and Rachel Maksy a watch. Their tutorials are informative and entertaining, with a slant toward Victorian and historical stylings that may suit a darker aesthetic.

Tip 3: Curate a good selection of virtual gothic shops

The internet is an indispensable tool when it comes to finding apparel in your favorite niches. But it can be almost too overwhelming at times. With so many stores vying for your attention, how do you know where to start?

We invite you to browse our small selection of 5 dark aesthetic shops we personally adore, which can be used when building a unique gothic wardrobe. This list mostly contains small business owners with a passion for the macabre and a dedication to mindful fashion.

When looking for shops in your own niche, search engines and other lifestyle blogs are great resources. We also suggest keeping several things in mind when browsing stores for the first time.

1. Understand the brand

Who owns the company? What is the company ethos? How do they handle their apparel from creation to shipping? Being mindful about brands from the start allows you to build a long, trusting relationship with your favorite sellers and creators.

2. Be mindful of shipping

Despite the internet creating a bridge between nations, taxes and shipping limitations often mean that smaller businesses can’t freely ship around the world. Before you set your heart on a gorgeous piece, be sure you can actually get your hands on it first.

3. Be aware of dropshippers

Dropshipping is the act of moving goods directly from a manufacturer to a customer via a third party storefront. Amazon is an excellent example. There are numerous reasons to avoid dropshippers, like a lack of vetting for manufacturing facility worker standards.

Unfortunately, fashion communities are rife with dropshippers, all the way down to the niche-est of niches. Certain apparel and accessory brands will dropship from Taobao or Alibaba while falsely marketing their items as original creations, which can cause moral friction for some customers.

Proxy Services vs. Dropshippers

As a quick note, there are differences between proxy services like 42Lolita and dropshippers. Proxy services merely act as the middle man between a buyer and an established seller or shop. Usually, proxy services bridge a gap between foreign and international sellers and customers, improving access to coveted items all over the world.

By comparison, dropshippers work directly with manufacturers. While there are ethical ways to participate in dropshipping, it can be dicey and opaque territory and may be better off avoided.

Tip 4: Don’t overlook your local thrift markets

For some, the idea of spending a day thrifting is heavenly. For others, not so much. And then there are the people who have never really thrifted at all. But if you’re looking to cut down on your fast fashion footprint, this is an invaluable resource.

Tips for shopping at a thrift store

• Browse the whole store. Thrift stores are notoriously messy, and you may just find a phenomenal pair of shorts waiting for you in the dress section.
  
  
• Keep trend delays in mind. Around 6 months after something becomes popular, you’ll be seeing a lot of it at thrift stores. If you like any elements of more mainstream fashion, put a pin in it and revisit in a half-year or so.
  
  
• Shop shortly after autumn and winter. These seasons usually have a darker aesthetic naturally, so you may find success by waiting until people begin paring down their cold weather wardrobes.
  
  
• Curate a shopping list. Thanks to the chaotic and disorganized nature of a thrift store, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and end up with more than you bargained for. This is a problem if you’re trying to stick to a set spending amount. Treat it like you would the grocery store: make a list, make a budget, get in, and get out.
  
  
• Know your measurements. It’s easier to find clothing that fits if you know your precise measurements, considering thrifted clothing have vast size ranges.

Thrift stores often carry prized pieces for alternative wardrobes. Don’t overlook antique stores or flea markets, either. If you go into the hunt with some know-how, you may just unearth a gem.

Tip 5: Hone in on dark accessories

Accessories can sometimes make or break a look. Moreover, even if you don’t have the money to buy bigger items like jackets or dresses, you may have a little to spare for an accessory or two.

You can always make your own, as discussed above. Beading, jewelry making, and resin crafting (when done safely) are all great ways to make things like brooches, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.

There are plenty of dark aesthetic jewelers and accessory crafters and artisans out there, too. Rosuraie comes to mind, along with The Black Wardrobe.

Larger pieces like belts, corsets, capelets, and shoes may also bring that extra touch of elegant morbidity to an outfit that levels it up. It’s all in how you use things.

Tip 6: Be intentional with your purchases

You may be tempted to start buying things at light speeds as soon as you decide to pivot your wardrobe. If you do this, you won’t just burn out your wallet, but you may burn out your inspiration, too.

Here are our biggest tips for shopping with intention.

Create a list

The first step is making a list of everything you want. What items do you covet? What would you get immediately if you had infinite budget and closet space? This is the time for you to make a wish list so you can easily reference it in the future.

Rank your priorities

Now, take that list and pare it down to your top five most coveted items. We suggest selecting just one of these top five items to purchase every month. If they aren’t very expensive, bump it up to two or three. This will help you control your spending while also allowing you to ask yourself just how badly you want or need any given piece.

Keep sales in mind

We mean this in two ways. First, follow newsletters of the brands that you adore so you can watch for sales they may have. This is a great way to get new items without the full price tag.

Second, don’t buy something simply because it’s on sale. Sales make you want to snap up an item at a low price point with the fear that the price will never drop that low again. In most cases, though, that’s not the case. If the item you’re eyeing will go on sale again in the future, consider waiting it out.

Tip 7: Don’t get hung up on perfection

The last tip is certainly not the least. It’s easy to scroll through Pinterest or Instagram and compare yourself to models and influencers who have full and beautiful wardrobes. Just remember: it’s often the job of these individuals to have a strong aesthetic, brand, and online appearance.

If you can’t put together multiple stunning outfits in your first few weeks (or months, or even years) of curating a new style, don’t let the disappointment get to you. A few small accessories is still a step closer to your dream wardrobe than if you’d never started collecting anything.

Fashion is a Marathon

Starting a new wardrobe from scratch is very much playing a long game. It will take time, effort, money and attention to curate an entirely new selection of clothing, and there’s nothing wrong with that. After all, you want a wardrobe that reflects your tastes from brands whose ethos’ you can feel good supporting.

Instead of rushing to the finish line and trying to fill your closet up as quickly as possible with anything you can get your hands on, we suggest being more mindful in your journey. Enjoy getting to know the thrifting scene of your town. Expand your knowledge with new crafting hobbies. Find fresh shops to adore and keep your eyes on their product launches and sales.

It may be slow-going, but you’ll be rewarded with an elegant, gothic wardrobe that will suit your desire for dark aesthetic perfectly when all is said and done. Isn’t that worth its weight in gold?